There is, inside all our heads, the ego’s rabid attack dog. It is purely vicious toward others and toward ourselves as well. Learning to control that dog, and ultimately to end its life, is the process and purpose of enlightened relationships.

Only God’s thoughts, or love, is actually real. So when we separate ourselves from that love, we’re actually not thinking at all: we’re hallucinating.

To become romantic artists, we must pierce the armor that hides our hearts, and the piercing is not comfortable.

We need more than a new politics; what we need is a new worldview. We need a fundamentally different bottom line.

I have learned from experience that happiness is an acquired skill. Children are one of the greatest lessons in happiness, constantly challenging us to enjoy the moment, as the next one will not be the same. Gratitude is essential to happiness. Every time our children rush up to us and smile, we have something to be happy about; every time we get out of bed and can take a deep breath and go out for a walk, we have something to be happy about-that is the essence of a happy existence. Happiness is a muscle we must use, or it will wither away.

Happiness is the choice I make today. It does not rest on my circumstances, but on my frame of mind...In cultivating the habits of happiness, I attract the people and situations that match its frequency. I smile more often, give praise more often, give thanks more often, and am glad more often. For such is my choice today.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you.